B7-H3 is a tumor-associated antigen that plays a critical role in potential tumor-targeted therapy. In this study, we aimed to assess the radiobiological effect of 131I-labeled B7-H3 monoclonal antibody (131I-4H7) in nude mice with human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and evaluate the effect of 131I-4H7 on RCC treatment. The radiobiological activity and tumor uptake of 131I-4H7, and its effect on tumor growth were measured. 131I-4H7 was absorbed by the tumor and reached its maximal uptake rate (3.32% injected dose [ID]/g) at 24 h, at which point the drug concentration in the tumor was 7.36-, 2.06-, 1.80-, and 2.78-fold higher than that in muscle, kidneys, liver, and heart, respectively. Measurements and positron emission tomography-computed tomography imaging showed that tumor development was significantly inhibited by 131I-4H7. HE staining revealed that 131I-4H7 significantly injures tumor cells. Our results suggest that 131I-4H7 is markedly absorbed by the tumor and did suppress the development of RCC xenografted tumors in nude mice, which might provide a new candidate for antibody-mediated targeted radiotherapy in human RCC.

Mechanisms of dysfunctional T cell immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) need to be well defined. B7 family molecules provide both co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory signals to T cells while tryptophan degrading enzymes like Indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) and Tryptophan 2,3 Dioxygenase (TDO) mediate tumor immune tolerance. It is necessary to identify their in situ correlative expression, which informs targets for combined immunotherapy approaches. We investigated B7 family molecules, IDO, TDO and immune responsive effectors in the tumor tissues of patients with HCC (n = 28) using a pathway-focused quantitative nanoscale chip real-time PCR. Four best correlative expressions, namely (1) B7-1 & PD-L2, (2) B7-H2 & B7-H3, (3) B7-2 & PD-L1, (4) PD-L1 & PD-L2, were identified among B7 family ligands, albeit they express at different levels. Although TDO expression is higher than IDO, PD-L1 correlates only with IDO but not TDO. Immune effector (Granzyme B) and suppressive (PD-1 and TGF-β) genes correlate with IDO and B7-1, B7-H5, PD-L2. Identification of the in situ correlation of PD-L1, PD-L2 and IDO suggest their cumulative immuno suppressive role in HCC. The distinct correlations among B7-1, B7-2, B7-H2, and B7-H3, correlation of PD-1 with non-cognate ligands such as B7-1 and B7-H5, and correlation of tumor lytic enzyme Granzyme B with IDO and PD-L2 suggest that HCC microenvironment is complexly orchestrated with both stimulatory and inhibitory molecules which together neutralize and blunt anti-HCC immunity. Functional assays demonstrate that both PDL-1 and IDO synergistically inhibit T cell responses. Altogether, the present data suggest the usage of combined immune checkpoint blocking strategies targeting co-inhibitory B7 molecules and IDO for HCC management.

Keywords: B7 family molecules; PD-L1; T cell immunity; co-inhibition; co-stimulation; hepatocellular carcinoma; indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase.

BACKGROUND

The molecular mechanisms involved in the development and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are complex. Molecule-targeted drugs are characterized by strong specificity and low toxicity, but the clinical research of these drugs still exhibits many difficulties, such as poor target specificity. With the in-depth study of the tumor immunological theory, therapies based on overcoming the tumor immune escape to produce a specific effective tumor immune response has gradually become a hot topic in tumor research. We hope that by studying the effects of liver-targeted drugs on the expression of immune-related proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, we will find a potential link to further guide the clinical drug use.

METHODS

Human hepatoma Hep3B cells were used to establish liver cancer xenografts by inoculating 40 BALB/c nude mice. The following five groups of mice (8 mice per group) were randomly set up: lenvatinib group, apatinib group, sorafenib group, regorafenib group, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group. After treatment, we analyzed PD-L1 and B7-H3 mRNA using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and assessed the PD-L1 and B7-H3 protein expression by Western immunoblotting.

RESULTS

Real-time PCR results suggested that the mRNA expression of PD-L1 in the lenvatinib group was significantly higher than that in the control group, while its expression in the regorafenib group was significantly lower than that in the control group (both p < .05). Western immunoblotting results suggested that, compared with the control group, PD-L1 protein was increased in the lenvatinib group, while its expression in the regorafenib group was decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Lenvatinib and regorafenib affected the expression of PD-L1 in the process of anti-HCC.

This study was purpose to investigate the B7-H3 expression in multiple myeloma cell lines and CD138 cells of patients with multiple myeloma, and explore its clinical significance. Three myeloma cell lines (RPMI8226, U266 and H929) were used. Forty-five patients with multiple myeloma were enrolled in the study. The expression of B7-H3 was detected by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The relationship between B7-H3 and clinical prognostic factor was analyzed. The results showed that (1)In myeloma cell lines, high expression of B7-H3 was seen in RPMI8226 (92.30 ± 1.1)% and U266 (79.03 ± 1.2)% but not in H929 cell line (4.26 ± 0.2)%. (2) Exogenous IL-6 had no effect on upregulation of B7-H3 in myeloma cell lines. (3) In multiple myeloma patients, the proportions of B7-H3 positive cells in newly diagnosed, remission and relapsed patients were (48.58 ± 33.593)%, (22.16 ± 18.853)%, and (57.65 ± 28.296)%, respectively. The difference between the newly diagnosed and remission patients, and remission and relapsed patients was significant (P = 0.023, P = 0.004). (4)High B7-H3 expression was correlated with high numbers of bone destruction and high levels of serum calcium (P = 0.027, P = 0.046, respectively). It is concluded that the relation of B7-H3 molecule expression with prognosis of multiple myeloma may be negative, but with degree of bone destruction is positive, thus the high expression of B7-H3 may correlated with disease progression and bone destruction of patients with multiple myeloma.

Immune-mediated mechanisms have been implicated in liver pathogenesis and subsequent progression in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Costimulatory molecules, the important regulators of immune responses, participate in the regulation of liver pathology in HBV infection. However, the role of B7-H3 (CD276, a new member of B7 family) in this process has not been investigated. In this study, we detected abundant soluble B7-H3 (sB7-H3) in the plasma of patients with chronic HBV infections. The increase of the plasma B7-H3 was associated with the progression of liver cirrhosis and accompanied by decreased expression of B7-H3 on hepatocytes. The identification analysis suggests that the plasma B7-H3 might be derived from the membrane-bound B7-H3 on hepatocytes. A functional study showed that immobilized (4Ig) B7-H3Ig fusion protein could inhibit TCR-induced proliferation and IFN-γ secretion of T cells, which could be partially blocked by soluble B7-H3flag fusion protein. These results suggest that the reduced expression of B7-H3 in the livers might temper the inhibition of T-cell responses mediated by B7-H3 expressed on hepatocytes and thus promote the hepatic inflammation and hepatitis progression in the chronic HBV-infected patients.

The members of the B7 family, as immune checkpoint molecules, can substantially regulate immune responses. Since microRNAs (miRs) can regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, we conducted a scoping review to summarize and discuss the regulatory cross-talk between miRs and new B7 family immune checkpoint molecules, i.e., B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H5, butyrophilin like 2 (BTNL2), B7-H6, B7-H7, and immunoglobulin like domain containing receptor 2 (ILDR2). The current study was performed using a six-stage methodology structure and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were systematically searched to obtain the relevant records to 5 November 2020. Two authors independently reviewed the obtained records and extracted the desired data. After quantitative and qualitative analyses, we used bioinformatics approaches to extend our knowledge about the regulatory cross-talk between miRs and the abovementioned B7 family members. Twenty-seven articles were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Studies with different designs reported gene-miR regulatory axes in various cancer and non-cancer diseases. The regulatory cross-talk between the aforementioned B7 family molecules and miRs might provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of various human diseases.

Keywords: B7; cancer; gene therapy; human diseases; immune checkpoint; immunotherapy; microRNA.

OBJECTIVE

To obtain mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein and to investigate its biological function and effects on T lymphocyte activation.

METHODS

The genes coding extracellular domain of mouse B7-H3 and the Fc fragment of human IgG1 were amplified from pMD19-T/mouse B7-H3 and pMD19-T/human IgG1 vectors by PCR. The two genes were combined with mouse B7-H3-Fc fragment by overlap PCR. Then the resulting gene fragment was inserted into eukaryotic vector pIRES2-EGFP after digested with EcoR I and Bgl II to construct the recombinant vector pIRES2-EGFP/B7-H3-Fc. The recombinant vector was transfected into CHO cells with LipfectAMINE™ 2000, and the cells were further selected with G418. The collected supernatant of the transfected cell line cultured in serum-free media was ultrafiltrated and concentrated, then purified by Protein G column. The expression of mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein was confirmed by Western blot. Effects of fusion protein on T cells proliferation and cytokine production in vitro was studied by methods of CCK8 and ELISA.

RESULTS

The results showed that the transfected CHO cell line secreting mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein was constructed successfully. In vitro, mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein obviously promoted the proliferation of T cells in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSIONS

A transfected CHO cell line stably expressing mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein has been obtained and the B7-H3-Fc fusion protein stimulates the proliferation of T cells and cytokines production in vitro.

BACKGROUND

B7-H3 has been widely studied in the context of tumor progression in recent years, and behaves as a tumor cell marker in a variety of tumors including colorectal carcinoma. The mechanism of B7-H3 in tumor progression is complicated and not clear yet. Studies have revealed that B7 family molecules are expressed on infiltrated lymphocytes as well as tumor cells in tumor microenvironment, which indicates that different expression pattern may lead to different clinical outcomes.

METHODS

The expression of B7-H3 was detected in tissues of 98 colorectal carcinoma patients by using immunohistochemistry. Then the expression of B7-H3 on CD3(+) T lymphocytes isolated from fresh cancer tissues of 12 colorectal carcinoma patients was analyzed by flow cytometry assay. The relationship between the expression of B7-H3 on CD3(+) T lymphocytes and patients' clinical pathological parameters was demonstrated with statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Patients with more CD3(+) T cell infiltration survived much longer than patients with less CD3(+) T cell infiltration (P < 0.05); B7-H3 was highly expressed by infiltrating CD3(+) T lymphocytes in colorectal carcinoma tissues. The expression of B7-H3 was found to be significantly related with lymph node metastasis status (P < 0.05), but not with the patient's gender, age, tumor size, differentiation degree, depth of tumor invasion, Dukes' stage, distant metastasis and whether or not mucinous adenocarcinoma was present (P>> 0.05). Moreover, the survival time of patients with low expression of B7-H3 was obviously longer than those of high B7-H3 expression patients, but the seven-year survival rate showed no difference between the high and low B7-H3 expression patients (P>> 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The negative costimulatory molecule B7-H3 on infiltrating CD3(+) T lymphocytes in colorectal carcinoma bears importance in the clinical pathological progress and prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.

B7 family molecules, which are expressed on antigen-presenting cells and display extracellular regions containing immunoglobulin (Ig) variable (V)- and constant (C)-like domains, are known to modulate T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated T cell activation by providing co-signals that are either stimulatory or inhibitory. One of the most recently identified members of this family is B7-H3 (B7 homologue 3). Here, evidence is presented that human B7-H3 exists as two isoforms: B7-H3 VC, which contains one IgV- and IgC-like domain, and B7-H3 VCVC, which contains two such domains. The latter represents the predominant B7-H3 molecule detectable in various human tissues. Both B7-H3 isoforms are shown to decrease the proliferation and cytokine production induced by TCR activation of human T cells in vitro. It is therefore claimed that B7-H3 molecules may provide tools to modulate immune responses for therapeutic purpose.

BACKGROUND

Giant cell lesions are locally aggressive intraosseous neoplasms with capacity to metastasize. The role of immune surveillance in the pathophysiology of giant cell lesions is poorly understood, and understanding what role the immune system plays in giant cell lesions may lead to the development of more effective treatment. The aim of this study was to explore the role of immune surveillance in giant cell lesions by examining the expression of the HLA class I and class II antigens and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. In addition, we examined the role of the immune modulating surface antigen B7-H3, which belongs to the B7 superfamily, a group of molecules that modulates T-cell responses.

OBJECTIVE

(1) Is an immune response elicited by giant cell lesions? (2) Do clinically relevant human leukocyte antigen (HLA) defects exist in giant cell lesions? (3) Is B7-H3 a clinically relevant immune modulator?

METHODS

The study sample was derived from the population of patients presenting to the Massachusetts General Hospital for evaluation and management of giant cell lesions from 1993 to 2008. We included patients with histologically confirmed giant cell lesions with a minimum followup of 6 months. Patients with systemic diseases (n = 4 [3%]), syndromes associated with giant cell lesions (n = 4 [3%]), and those without sufficient followup (n = 26 [19%]), inadequate records (n = 7 [5%]), or inadequate tissue available (n = 2 [1%]) were excluded. Tissue microarray, containing 288 tissue cores for 93 patients, was carefully constructed. This contained tissue from 45 patients with maxillofacial lesions, 38 with aggressive and seven with nonaggressive lesions, and 48 patients with axial and appendicular lesions, 30 with aggressive lesions and 18 with nonaggressive lesions. The population mean age was 28 ± 12 years and the duration of followup was 4 ± 3 years. The tissue microarray was immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal antibodies specific for HLA classes I and II and B7-H3 antigens and analyzed for tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Antigen expression was examined in multinucleated giant cells and mononuclear stromal cells. The results were correlated with local invasion and tumor aggressiveness, which is based on accepted staging criteria.

RESULTS

Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were detected in all the tumors. The mean number of CD8+ T cell infiltration was lower in aggressive tumors (median, 4.8; interquartile range [IQR], 0.4-13.4), when compared with nonaggressive tumors (median, 15.8; IQR, 4.3-46.3; p = 0.007). HLA class I antigens were highly expressed by multinucleated giant cells in all tumors, but were lightly expressed on mononuclear stromal cells in 53% (45 of 84) to 73% (56 of 77) of tumors. HLA class I antigen low expression in mononuclear stromal cells was associated with tumor aggressiveness (odds ratio [OR], 4.3; p = 0.005). Low HLA class I expression combined with low CD8+ T cell infiltration was most highly associated with tumor aggressiveness (OR, 7.81; p = 0.011). B7-H3 antigen was expressed in 36.9% mononuclear stroma cells and also was associated with local tumor invasion (OR, 1.36; p < 0.001). Similarly, giant cell lesions with high B7-H3 expression and low CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes were associated with increased tumor aggressiveness (OR, 8.89; p = 0.0491).

CONCLUSIONS

Locally aggressive giant cell lesions are associated with low HLA class 1 antigen expression, low CD8+T cell infiltration, and high expression of the immune modulator B7-H3.

CONCLUSIONS

Failure of immune surveillance implies that there may be an opportunity to target aspects of the immune surveillance machinery to treat giant cell lesions.

BACKGROUND

B7-H3 is frequently upregulated in response to autoantigens and pathogens during host T cell immune responses. However, the role of B7-H3 which express in CD14+ monocytes and CD4+CD25high T cells had not been investigated.

METHODS

Cytometry and ELISA were used in this study.

RESULTS

The study showed that B7-H3 expression in CD14+ monocytes, CD4+CD25high T cells, and plasma was significantly increased in AHB, CHB, HBV-LC, and HBV-HCC group. In CHB group, the expression of B7-H3 was positively correlated with the ALT and AST levels.

CONCLUSIONS

B7-H3 expression in peripheral CD14+ monocytes, CD4+CD25high T cells, and plasma changed with HBV infection progression and had a significant correlation with liver function in CHB. B7-H3 expression could be utilized as a potential clinical indicator to determine the extent of liver injury.

B7-H3 and EpCAM are overexpressed in cancer and play a role in tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this study, the membranous, cytoplasmic and nuclear expression levels of B7-H3 and EpCAM biomarkers were mapped in three major subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Expression of B7-H3 and EpCAM were evaluated using immunohistochemistry in RCC samples on tissue microarrays (TMAs), including clear cell RCCs (ccRCCs), type I and II papillary RCCs (pRCCs), and chromophobe RCCs (chRCCs). The association between B7-H3 and EpCAM expression and clinicopathological features as well as survival outcomes was determined. There was a statistically significant difference between B7-H3 and EpCAM expression among the different RCC subtypes. In ccRCC, higher cytoplasmic expression of B7-H3 was significantly associated with increase in nucleolar grade, lymph node invasion (LNI), invasion of the Gerota's fascia, and tumor necrosis, while no association was found with the membranous and nuclear expression. Moreover tumors with cytoplasmic expression of B7-H3 tended to have a worse prognosis for disease-specific survival (DSS) than those with membranous expression. In case of EpCAM, increased membranous expression of EpCAM was associated with nucleolar grade and tumor necrosis in ccRCC. Additionally, membranous EpCAM expression added prognostic value in patients with ccRCC who had high nucleolar grade versus low nucleolar grade. Moreover, membranous EpCAM expression was found to be an independent favorable prognostic marker for progression-free survival (PFS) in ccRCC. Our results demonstrated that higher cytoplasmic B7-H3 and membranous EpCAM expression are clinically significant in ccRCC and are associated with more aggressiveness tumor behavior.

B7-H3, one of the costimulatory members participating in checkpoint pathway, has been shown to be upregulated after hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To further explore the clinical significance of dynamic B7-H3 expression during the progression of HBV infection, we systematically investigated the expression pattern of B7-H3 and the correlation of B7-H3 expression with the ratio of T lymphocyte subsets and clinical parameters at different stages in the course of the disease. Flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay data showed that soluble form of B7-H3 (sB7-H3) was positively correlated with the frequency of Treg cells in acute hepatitis B (AHB), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and hepatocellular carcinoma patients with HBV infection (HBV-HCC). Membrane form of B7-H3 (mB7-H3) expressed on Treg cells and monocytes was positively correlated with the frequency of Treg cells in CHB. SB7-H3 had relationship with mB7-H3 expressed on Treg cells and monocytes at different stages during HBV infection, except for HBV-HCC. MB7-H3 expressed on Treg cells was positively correlated with that on monocytes in AHB, CHB, HBV-liver cirrhosis, and HBV-HCC. The B7-H3 expression was positively correlated with aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels in CHB and sB7-H3 level was higher in late tumor/node/metastasis (TNM) stage in HCC. Higher mB7-H3 expression was associated with greater tumor size, later TNM stage, and worse prognosis in HBV-HCC indicated by immunohistochemistry. Taken together, these results suggested that B7-H3 might contribute to the progression of HBV infection by triggering inhibitory signals in effector T cells and it was closely associated with the progression and poor prognosis during HBV infection. B7-H3 could be utilized as a potential clinical indicator and a potential target for therapeutic strategies against HBV infection.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether seminal B7-H3 levels are correlated to semen parameters and affect human sperm functions.

METHODS

A total of 83 healthy donors of proven fertility (aged 22-37 years) and 176 infertile men (aged 21-38 years) were recruited. Computer-assisted semen analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to assess the correlations between seminal B7-H3 levels and semen parameters. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy were used to detect the putative receptor for B7-H3. Computer-assisted semen analysis and FITC-conjugated pisum sativum agglutinin staining were performed for assessing sperm motility, capacitation, and acrosome reaction (AR) after incubation with various concentrations of B7-H3 for 0-4 hours in vitro.

RESULTS

Seminal B7-H3 level was significantly higher in the healthy donors than that in the infertile men (P <.05), and closely associated with sperm concentrations and progressive motility (all P <.05), but not the other parameters examined (all P>>.05). A putative receptor for B7-H3 was detected on the surface of sperm, with no significant differences in expression between the healthy donors and infertile men (P>>.05). Seminal B7-H3 promoted sperm progressive motility in a time- and dose-dependent manner in vitro, although having no significant influence on sperm capacitation and AR.

CONCLUSIONS

B7-H3 showed a favorable effect on human sperm motility, without affecting sperm capacitation and AR.

BACKGROUND Artemether, originally used for malaria, exhibits potential therapeutic efficacy against several types of cancer, including gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and gliomas. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanism of artemether on drug resistance of neuroblastoma cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS Cell viability and proliferation were determined by CCK-8 and EdU incorporation assay, respectively. Gene expression was measured by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. RESULTS Our results revealed that artemether treatment remarkably inhibited the proliferation of neuroblastoma cell lines SH-SY5Y, SK-N-SH, and SK-N-BE2. In addition, co-treatment of tumor cells with artemether and doxorubicin significantly reduced cell viability and DNA synthesis compared with doxorubicin-treated cells. On the molecular level, we found that combined treatment with artemether and doxorubicin suppressed the expression of B7-H3 both at the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, artemether failed to sensitize tumor cells to doxorubicin in SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing B7-H3. CONCLUSIONS Artemether-mediated inhibition of B7-H3 may contribute to doxorubicin sensitivity in neuroblastoma cells, suggesting that artemether could serve as a potential therapeutic option for neuroblastoma.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of B7-H3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP).

METHODS

Mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, AP group and B7-H3 mAb treatment group. AP was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injections of cerulein. B7-H3 mAb was administered to the mice by subcutaneous injection 1 hour before the injections of cerulein. The blood, pancreas and lung tissues of the mice were collected 6, 12 and 24 hours after cerulein induction. Expression of B7-H3 protein was detected in the pancreas tissues of the control and AP groups by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Serum activities of amylase and lipase were tested by VITROS 5600 Integrated System. The pancreas wet-dry mass ratio was used to value the edema of pancreas. Pathological changes of pancreas and lung tissues were evaluated by HE staining. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β were detected by ELISA in all groups.

RESULTS

The level of B7-H3 protein increased in the pancreas tissues of the AP group after successful induction of cerulein, and reached the peak at 12 hours. Serum activities of amylase and lipase in the AP group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while decreased obviously after the intervention of B7-H3 mAb. H&E staining showed that evident inflammation appeared in pancreas and lung tissues of the AP group, and the inflammation and wet-dry mass ratio were markedly reduced in the treatment group. The levels of proinflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in the AP group showed a time-dependent increase, and peaked at 12 hours, while in the treatment group were relatively lower.

CONCLUSIONS

B7-H3 is over-expressed in cerulein-induced AP. Anti-B7-H3 mAb can attenuate the inflammation and alleviate the injury of pancreas and lung tissues.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the mechanisms by which splicing factor SC35 regulates the costimulatory molecule B7-H3 expression in vitro through bioinformatic and molecular biological methods.

METHODS

We screened some regulatory proteins which might take part in regulating B7-H3 expression using bioinformatic methods. Then RNA interference (RNAi) and real-time PCR were performed to test if these proteins took part in the regulation.

RESULTS

Splicing factor SC35, SRP40 and SF50 might play an important role in the regulation of B7-H3 expression. In PHA-activated T cells, B7-H3 was upregulated obviously and at the same time SC35 was also upregulated. When we suppressed SC35 expression using RNAi, we found B7-H3 was also downregulated.

CONCLUSIONS

Splicing factor SC35 might take part in the regulation of B7-H3 expression, which could help understand B7-H3 biological function.

UNASSIGNED

We found seminal B7-H3 was associated with human sperm concentration. However, the mechanism is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of B7-H3 in mouse testis and determine the effects of B7-H3 on the proliferation of mouse spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and the underlying mechanisms.

UNASSIGNED

B7-H3 expression in the testis of mice at different ages (3 weeks, 8 weeks, 4 months and 9 months) was detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry. CCK-8 were used to measure mouse SSCs proliferation after incubation with different concentrations of B7-H3 for 1-72 h in vitro. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle of mouse SSCs after incubation with different concentrations of B7-H3 for 48 and 72 h. The signaling pathways involved were assessed by western blot.

UNASSIGNED

Four-month-old mice had the highest expression of B7-H3 in the testis, while 3-week-old mice had the lowest expression of B7-H3. B7-H3 was predominantly detected on the membrane and in the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells. Furthermore, B7-H3 promoted mouse SSCs proliferation and increased the percentage of cells in S+G2/M phase in a time- and dose-dependent manner in vitro. These effects were inhibited by LY294002, indicating the involvement of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling pathway.

UNASSIGNED

The expression of B7-H3 in mouse testis, especially Sertoli cells, was associated with mouse age. In vitro, B7-H3 promoted the proliferation and accelerated the cell cycle of mouse SSCs via the PI3K pathway, indicating a critical role of B7-H3 expressed by Sertoli cells in mouse spermatogenesis.

OBJECTIVE

To detect the expression and clinical significance of co-stimulatory molecule B7-H3 in sera and tissues of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

We collected 63 samples of sera and liver tissue from HCC patients, 5 adjacent normal tissues of hepatic hemangioma as controls, and the other 50 sera samples of healthy people in the same time. The expression of soluble B7-H3 (sB7-H3) in sera from HCC patients and healthy people was detected by ELISA. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze the expression of B7-H3 on normal liver and HCC tissues.

RESULTS

The level of sB7-H3 from HCC patients was significantly higher than that from healthy people [(4143.47±976.27) pg/mL vs (2076.18±605.42) pg/mL, P<0.05]; and sB7-H3 level was related to clinical stage, distant metastasis and the positive expression of B7-H3 in HCC tissues (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between its expression and the other clinical pathological parameters, such as the patients' age, gender, histological type, lymphatic metastasis and size of tumor. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between the level of sB7-H3 and CA19-9 in HCC patients (P<0.05), but it was not associated with AFP and CEA.

CONCLUSIONS

The level of sB7-H3 in HCC patients was significantly higher than that in healthy people, and B7-H3 expression was correlated with clinical pathological indexes, which implicated that detecting the expression of sB7- H3 might be helpful for the diagnosis of primary HCC.

OBJECTIVE

To study the expression of B7-H3 mRNA and B7-H3 protein in gastric carcinoma and their clinical significance.

METHODS

The expression of B7-H3 mRNA and B7-H3 protein in gastric carcinoma and the nearby normal tissue of 38 patients was detected by real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemical assay respectively.

RESULTS

B7-H3 mRNA was expressed both in gastric carcinoma and nearby normal tissue, but the expression level in gastric carcinoma was much lower than that in nearby normal tissue. There were no significant differences of B7-H3 mRNA expression among gender, age, histological type, tumor size, lymph node metastasis and invasive depth (all P >0.05). The positive rate of B7-H3 protein expressed in gastric carcinoma was 39.5%. There were no significant differences of B7-H3 protein expression among gender, age, histological type, tumor size, lymph node metastasis and invasive depth (all P >0.05), but there were significant differences among groups of clinical stage (P=0.022) and pathological grade (P=0.039). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that disease-free survival or overall survival of the patients with positive B7-H3 expression were significantly longer than those with negative B7-H3 expression (P=0.009 and P=0.010 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Detection of B7-H3 expression in gastric carcinoma will be beneficial to the judgment of the prognosis of gastric carcinoma and the choice of individualized treatment.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the expression of soluble B7-H3 (sB7-H3) in the plasma and hepatitis virus B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC).

METHODS

Twenty-three patients with HBV-HCC and 15 healthy donors were enrolled in this study. The level of sB7-H3 in the plasma was detected by ELISA. The expression of sB7-H3 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs), tumor tissues and peri-tumor normal tissues were determined by relative real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The level of membrane B7-H3 (mB7-H3) expressed in tumor tissues and peri-tumor normal tissues were detected by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

The level of plasma sB7-H3 in the HBV-HCC patients was significantly higher than that in the healthy donors (P<0.05). However, the level of sB7-H3 mRNA in PBMCs was not significantly different between the HBV-HCC patients and healthy donors (P>0.05). The level of plasma sB7-H3 dropped significantly after the resection of liver tumors (P<0.05). The qRT-PCR showed the expression of sB7-H3 mRNA in tumor tissues and peri-tumor normal tissues were about 60 and 1 800 times higher than those in PBMCs of the corresponding HBV-HCC patients, respectively, and the expression of sB7-H3 mRNA in peri-tumor normal tissues was about 30 times higher than that in tumor tissues. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the expression of mB7-H3 in peri-tumor normal tissues was higher than that in tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

sB7-H3 in the plasma of HBV-HCC patients is mainly generated from tumor and peri-tumor normal tissues, and it can serve as an assistant diagnostic marker for HBV-HCC.

The acid soluble proteins of Novikoff hepatoma chromatin were labeled linearly with 3H-leucine for 16 minutes. Analysis on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels showed that 13 of the 18 stained proteins were detected by autoradiography after a 16-minute in vitro incubation. The labeled molecules include the histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4; and proteins A3, Aj, A8, A8', A15, A16, A24, B7, and B13. Relatively large amounts of isotope were incorporated into two other proteins, A3 and Aj, in addition to the histones. Some proteins, notably Aj, A8, A8' and A16 were labeled to a greater extent than would be expected on the basis of uptake of Coomassie Brilliant Blue R. None of the labeling patterns were characteristic of a precursor-product relationship either the histones or the nonhistone proteins.

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease resulting from insulin-secreting β-cells mediated by autoreactive T cells. We demonstrated increased level of sB7-H3 in T1D patients than in healthy control group. This result suggests that B7-H3 may be may be a promising biomarker associated with the pathogenesis of T1D.

CD97 is a member of the epidermal growth factor-seven transmembrane (EGF-TM7) receptor family and is dominantly expressed on immune cells and in a variety of malignant diseases. B7-H1 and B7-H3 are transmembrane proteins that are involved in suppression of the immune system. The aim of this study was to evaluate if these molecules are up-regulated in patients with cancer and change during chemotherapy.

We analyzed cluster of differentiation (CD) protein expression levels on tumor cell lines and in blood samples of 37 patients with solid tumors at baseline and during chemotherapy; we correlated the serum levels of CD proteins with survival outcome.

Levels of soluble CD97 proteins were significantly elevated in all three cancer types compared to healthy controls. Patients with colorectal cancer and those with high CD97 levels had a significantly worse prognosis.

This study showed a marked elevation of soluble CD97 expression in patients with certain cancer types and demonstrated definite changes in CD protein expression during chemotherapy in one patient with metastatic breast cancer.